O.k I have been reading this thread, and i can't believe the mods have not stopped it!!!! I thought we were keeping fairness on the forum???? I could actually not work today, i read every post as it appeared. I don't think i could feel the need to go to Kruger anymore. I am a South African living in UK, and probably will not be going to Kruger for around 2 years There is nothing better than ending a day in Kruger. Aaaaagh. Just about to fall asleep in Satara and listening to the lions roar............ Can't wait to go back.

Oh on that note, i love a drink in Kruger, but how does everyone do it? I am so tired when i get back if i have a drink, it will knock me out...

I see skies of blue..... clouds of white Bright blessed days....dark sacred nights And I think to myself .....what a wonderful world.

Indeed. I can't even begin to explain the spiritual experience of an evening in Kruger, especially knowing that they are so few and far between for me. We won't be back for 4 years - but we will be back.

And cheetah2111, my beer of choice for this most recent trip was Black Label.

_________________"Smooth seas do not make skillful sailors." West African Proverb

Award: Travel Tale of the Year for KNP (2013)Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2010 11:37 pmPosts: 4253Location: PretoriaAward: Sighting of the Year - Small creatures/insects (2014)

Well I don't drink Black Label to end my day in the Kruger But I do put off all the lights in the bungalow/house and then having an Amarula on ice (summer) MMC (winter) in my hand, lighting a cigarette and then just be quiet: listening to the wind rustling in the grass, the far off who-whoo of an owl and if I'm very lucky the hoop-hoo of a hyena or a lion roaring in the distance. Nothing is as beautiful as the starlit sky in the bushveld either

_________________Trips:201426 Dec-10 Jan Sabie Park

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We usually braai..........and we never put on the chalet's lights.........I would sit outside writing my notes of the day with my headlamp on, while SO does the braai thing. After we ate we'll spend a nice hour of two just sitting outside listing to the night sounds!!!

The remains and ends of the days in Kruger are special times for us. We always have a fire, a braai and sundowners. It does us good those ending of the perfect Kruger days as we can talk about so many things and the Kruger bush is a perfect setting. And we always include what we have seen during the day on our drives in our talk. No wonder we are so relaxed and happy when we get back home again.

1. Grab a cold Castle, and a cold dry white wine.2.Dungie sets his fire and prepares the meat.3.Val prepares the veg/potatoes/rice etc.4. Refill glasses while the fire burns.5.Cook the braai and devour hungrily, having refilled the glasses again.6.Clear away and wash up.7.Make coffee and pour the Amarulas.8.Reflect on the day, watch the (usually) amazing African night sky, and listen to night sounds.

I am alone around the fire. Absolutely alone. Everybody has gone to bed, even other campers. It is pitch dark and I have a certain Captain as companion. Whether something happens or not I don't care. I ponder about how lucky I am for a while and go to bed. The secret is to be absolutely alone in the dark. That does it for me.

We make a fire and we either have a braai or make a meal in the potjie pot, once we have eaten and had a sundowner or two, LO and I go do the dishes while SO puts more wood on to start the fire up again, then we talk about what we saw and we also discuss what and where we will be going to the next day, it is also a time just to be with each other with no telephones ringing,televisions playing,traffic noises and other irritations that happen everyday when at home and dealing with everyday life. We don't sit up very late as our favourite thing to do is to get into our sleeping bags, turn off all head torches and just to be "one" with the night and just to absorb all the sounds and smells around us. Our time in the Kruger is our happiest as a family.

Joined: Thu Dec 09, 2004 6:51 amPosts: 2128Location: In a very busy place

End of the night (after braai's, sunset cocktail, few Castle's, review of the day) .. Lights off .. fire breathing it's last life .. it's a cold one, amarula and the darkness .. listening (watching if you're next to the fence) .. and just pondering ... then off to bed to go and snore up a storm that will make all male lions proud

Having read through this thread, it does appear as if our end-of-day ritual is pretty much standard; involving fire, alcohol (in our case the visits are normally in winter, so a nice red wine goes down well as the cool of night takes hold), and then just quiet companionship as the night sounds start to dominate...and this is where I must add my own take on things:

Quite frankly, in most camps, when you are in one of the bungalows, the night sounds mostly consist of people talking, laughter, car security systems beeping on and off....and eventually this dies down..except for that one group of people that inevitably carry on talking around the fire with the volume increasing with the consumption of beverages. Now this to me is NOT an irritation, in fact this phenomenon has supplied me with hours of entertainment over the years. I will sit and listen to the tales that progressively get taller Eventually this source of noise normally comes to a (very) sudden stop. Then the sounds of the night from non-human kruger inhabitants take over, and a last glass of the good stuff precedes bed-time.

We are the same as everyone ... Glass of something cold, braai, chit- chat about theday gone, and the next to come .. Except of course a couple of years ago we were in acamper van with our friend who live in SA ... All was peaceful, warm & relaxing, my SOhad gone to bed so it was just a nice girly chat, when suddenly she jumped of her chairinto the van and shouted goodnight ... Odd I thought , had I upset her, no ... She hadjusted spied a scorpion and didn't like to panic me .. ... I of course sat there foran age just watching it, without realising ther could be any danger ..

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